Qualitative and quantitative analysis of fluoroorganic compounds is an important practical task. Fluoroorganic compounds are widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. About one-third of all newly patented drugs contain carbon-fluorine (C--F) bonds. Examples of fluorine-containing drugs are the anticancer drug Fluoracil (C.sub.4 H.sub.3 FN.sub.2 O.sub.2, 5-fluorouracil), antidepressant drug Prozac.RTM. (C.sub.17 H.sub.18 F.sub.3 NO, fluoroxetine) and painkiller Dalmane (C.sub.21 H.sub.23 CIFN.sub.3 O, flurazepam). Perflubron (C.sub.8 F.sub.17 Br, bromoperfluorooctane) is an oxygencarrier in a formulation now undergoing clinical trials as a blood substitute. Many agricultural chemicals and pesticides also contain carbon-fluorine bonds.
Chemical analysis for drugs can be done by isolating the drug and then measuring concentrations of compounds. This approach can be expensive. Alternatively, known chemical compounds can be labeled with radioactive elements to form tracers. The radioactive compounds and their metabolites can be followed in the body or tissues by observing emitted radioactivity. However, making and disposing of radiolabeled compounds is also expensive. These expenses can be found in many drug development programs.
Accordingly, the inventors have determined that it would be useful to accurately and inexpensively identify fluoroorganic compounds. The present invention provides a method and apparatus for achieving this object.